


I've Been Waiting for You

by hipgrab (merrymegtargaryen)



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Gen, the mamma mia au no one asked for, warning for lots of silliness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-07
Updated: 2019-01-07
Packaged: 2019-10-05 22:41:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17333750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merrymegtargaryen/pseuds/hipgrab
Summary: Rey doesn't know who her parents are, but, after checking hospital records, she's narrowed it down to five possible candidates--and she's invited all of them to her wedding. And she hasn't told her husband-to-be. And everything is kind of a mess.





	1. I Have a Dream

**Author's Note:**

> Today is my birthday so I'm posting this ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS fic which you should not take seriously at all. 
> 
> Thank you to ahkmenrhapsody for betaing!

_ You are cordially invited to the wedding of  _

_ Ben Solo _

_ and _

_ Rey Johnson _

_ On May 22nd  _

_ On the Island of Ahch-To _

Rey looks down at the invitation, satisfied with the stationery that she and Ben had picked out. She tucks it into an envelope and then writes the address with a careful, precise hand. Ben has addressed all the others because of his beautiful penmanship, but Rey doesn’t want him to know about these. She licks the envelope and stamps it before putting it in the pile with the others. She’ll send them out next time the mail ferry comes by. 

In just a few months, she’ll be getting married to the love of her life--and maybe, just maybe, she’ll finally meet her parents.

.

On the top floor of a sleek building, a woman named Qi’ra opens the mail her assistant has handed her. Seeing a letter covered in stamps and posted from Greece, she frowns. Who does she know in Greece? 

She opens the envelope and raises her eyebrows at the names. She doesn’t know this Rey Johnson, but she does recognize the name  _ Solo _ . Han’s son, she recalls now. And he’s invited her to the wedding. 

Bemused, she looks at her calendar. She can make the wedding. 

Tapping out an email, she has her assistant handle all the travel details. It will be the first vacation she’s taken in years.

.

In sunny Miami, Jyn Erso walks into the kitchen, leafing through the mail. She pauses as she comes to one envelope, covered in stamps and marked from somewhere called Ahch-To, in Greece, of all places. She opens the envelope and sees a wedding invitation for two people she’s never heard of. 

“Honey?” she says to her husband, who’s sitting at the table and reading the newspaper. 

“Hmm?”

“Do we know anyone named Johnson or Solo?”

“I don’t know. Why?”

“We got invited to their wedding. Rey Johnson and Ben Solo.” 

Cassian considers. “And it’s addressed to us?”

“Yes. ‘Mr. Cassian Andor and Mrs. Jyn Erso.’”

“Well, obviously we know them.”

“But  _ how _ ?”

They both think for a minute.

“It would be rude if we didn’t go,” Cassian finally decides. 

“To Ahch-To?”

“Why not? We’re retired, we could take a vacation if we wanted to,” he says reasonably. “And we’ve never been to Greece before.”

“For the wedding of two people we don’t even remember?” 

“I’m sure it’ll come to us,” he says. He tugs on her hand, pulling her into his lap. “Come on, baby, it’s been a while since we went on a vacation, just the two of us...no kids, no grandkids. Just you and me in romantic Greece.”

Jyn considers. “Well...okay.”

They book a flight later that day.

.

Isolder gets a call from his wife while he’s looking over the spread for the upcoming spring issue of the magazine. 

“Hello, darling.”

“Do we know Rey Johnson and Ben Solo? They sent us a wedding invitation.”

Isolder sucks in a breath. “Solo, you say?”

“Yes--do you know him?”

Isolder closes his eyes. “I know his mother. Leia Organa.”

Teneniel goes quiet. “Oh.”

“I don’t know why she invited us to the wedding, though--Leia and I haven’t spoken in years.”  _ Since I tried to steal her away _ , he thinks guiltily. 

“An olive branch, maybe.”

“Maybe.” He pauses. “Well...we don’t have to go.”

“I think we should,” Teneniel says, surprising him. “If this is an olive branch, refusing it makes it look like we don’t want to make peace, and...we do. Don’t we?”

“Yes. Yes!” he says quickly. “Of course. If you’re sure…”

“I am.”

“Then let’s go.” He pauses. “I’ve never been to Ahch-To. It looks…”

“Quaint.”

“That wasn’t the word I was going to use, but fair enough.”

  
  



	2. Honey, Honey

Rey stands at the dock, dancing in place as Finn and Rose disembark from the ferry. They drop their luggage and run to her, all three screaming and squealing as they embrace. Rey hasn’t seen her friends in months, and it feels like they’re in college all over again. 

“Girl, I can’t believe you’re getting  _ married _ !” Finn shouts. 

“And to  _ Ben Solo _ , no less,” Rose giggles. 

“I know, I can’t believe it either,” Rey admits. “It’s actually happening!”

“Yeah it is!”

Babbling excitedly, Rey helps them carry their luggage up to the huts where all the guests will be staying. The stairs are steep and not a little hard to climb for non-natives. 

“No car?” Finn huffs as they make a slow ascent up the steps, sweat beading on his face. 

“No roads,” Rey explains. “There’s no way they’d be able to fit.” 

“Well, at least I know I’m getting in my steps,” Rose jokes breathlessly. 

“Can we please stop for a rest?” Finn asks about halfway up. 

Rey obliges him, setting down the suitcase she’s been towing while Finn collapses on the steps. 

“So,” she says as her friends rest their wearied limbs. “I have...something to tell you.”  

“You’re pregnant,” Rose guesses immediately. 

“What? No!” Rey shakes her head. “No, nothing like that.” She sits beside them. “I invited my parents to the wedding.” 

“Your parents?” Finn exchanges a look with Rose. “But I thought you didn’t know who they are?” 

“I still don’t know,” Rey admits. “But I did some digging and I found hospital records from the day I was born. I found women who were admitted to the maternity ward, and then I narrowed it down to women who gave birth to girls. All of them were married, so I invited them and their husbands to the wedding--and they all RSVP’d to say they’d be here, though one of the husbands died a few years ago, so he won’t be here.”

“Rey!” Rose exclaims. “You just...invited three couples on the off chance they  _ might _ be your parents?!”

“One of them has got to be,” Rey says stubbornly. 

Finn and Rose exchange looks. 

“Look, I just...have a feeling,” Rey says, realizing even as she does how silly it must sound to them. “I just  _ know _ that I’m going to find my parents.”

“Rey,” Finn says gently. “What if none of them are your parents?”

“One of them  _ has _ to be,” she says. “They were the only three women to give birth to girls in the maternity ward where I was born  _ on the day I was born _ .”

“I don’t know, this just seems…” Rose shakes her head. “I just hope it doesn’t blow up in your face.”

“Does Ben know?” Finn asks.

Rey hesitates. “Uh...no?”

“Rey!” Finn and Rose exclaim.

“He’ll think I’ve made the wedding about my parents and not about us,” she defends. “And that’s not true! The wedding is absolutely about us.”

“But also your parents.”

Rey looks down at her feet. She shouldn’t have said anything to them. They don’t understand.

“Aw, don’t get upset,” Rose soothes, slinging an arm around her friend. “Finn and I support you no matter what, right, Finn?”

“Right,” Finn says, nodding. 

“Now let’s finish walking up these fucking stairs.”

Rey laughs at her friends and helps them carry their luggage the rest of the way to their hut. She leaves them to shower off the sweat they worked up and bounds the rest of the way up the hill, where she finds her husband-to-be, unsurprisingly, arguing with his mother and uncle.

“What’s wrong now?” she asks cheekily, wrapping her arms around his waist. 

“Mom is going ballistic with the decorations,” he huffs. “Isn’t it  _ your _ job to be the Bridezilla?”

“Baby, I think you’re more worked up about this wedding than I am.”

“Probably,” he admits. “I just want it to be perfect for you.”

Rey is touched by his thoughtfulness. “The fact that you’ll be there is what makes it perfect. We could get married in burlap sacks in the rain and I’d think it was perfect.”

He leans down, kissing her nose. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” she says, filled with warmth.

“Not to interrupt this tender moment,” Leia says wryly, “but did your father ever say what time he was getting in?”

“No, and even if he did, you know he’d roll in two hours later,” Ben points out.

Leia purses her lips. “Well, that’s true.”

“Mom, you’ll behave,  _ right _ ?”

“Of course I’ll behave! It’s your father who’s the troublemaker,” she says irritably.

“Mom, last time you two were in a room together, you told him you hoped he contracted amoebic dysentary.”

“I did not,” she says, but she’s smoothing one of the table cloths with a little too much focus. 

Ben rolls his eyes. His parents have not gotten along  _ at all _ since the divorce. Ben and Rey had had to tell them separately about the engagement. The wedding will be the first time in years that they’ll be in the same room. 

Ben is understandably a little nervous.

Rey is less so--she’s more thinking about her own parents. Part of her wonders if she  _ should _ tell Ben. But he would only try to talk her out of it or get his feelings hurt. No, it’s better if Rey does this on her own. 

“Are your friends here?” he asks.

She nods. “Yeah, they’re just showering and unpacking now. And what about Poe?”

“Should be here by tonight.”

“He’s gotta get here in time for the bachelor party,” she teases. 

“Yeah,” Ben deadpans. “Me, Dad, Poe, and Uncle Luke. The shenanigans we’ll get up to.”

“I’ll send you a stripper.”

“Ha, ha,” he says sarcastically.

“Alcida-Auka would probably--stop!” she squeals when Ben reaches down to tickle her mercilessly.

“Okay, lovebirds,” Luke says, grumpy as usual. “If you’re not going to help decorate, get out.”

“Ben, can you meet Amilyn on the dock? She should be on the next ferry,” Leia says. “And who knows, maybe Poe will be there too.”

.

As it turns out, Poe and Amilyn  _ are _ on the same ferry.

“ _ The _ Amilyn Holdo,” he’s saying now, eyes wide. “That’s you?!”

“In the flesh,” she says with a serene smile.

Poe runs a hand through his perfect hair. “I’ve read all your books! I wrote an article on your peaceful protests!”

“How flattering,” she says, still serene.

Poe practically gets on his knees. “I am a  _ huge _ fan.”

“That’s very kind of you.”

As the ferry pulls away from the dock, they hear people shouting. Both Amilyn and Poe twist around to see the commotion. Two people are on the pier, waving their arms, but the ferry doesn’t stop. 

“They missed the ferry,” Amilyn says, rather unnecessarily.

“Sucks to be them.” Poe turns back to Amilyn. “Is there any chance I could take a selfie with you?”

.

“Fan-fucking-tastic,” Cassian groans as the ferry pulls away. “We missed it! And the next one isn’t for another two hours!”

“Maybe we could find a place to eat and wait it out,” Jyn suggests, taking off her hat and fanning herself with it. 

Their trip had been going so well. They’d flown to Greece, enjoyed a couple days in Athens, and then wandered down to Voula to take the ferry to Ahch-To. It had been like a second honeymoon. 

And now they missed the ferry to the island where the wedding of two people they don’t know is supposed to take place. 

“Need a lift?”

The couple raises their eyes to where a man is suspended in the rigging of a sailboat. He’s about their age, maybe a little older, tanned and smiling. 

“You’re going to Ahch-To?” Cassian asks. 

The man nods. “To the Johnson-Solo wedding?”

“Yes!” Jyn exclaims. “Oh, a lift would be  _ perfect _ .”

“Hop on!” the man invites, and the couple toss their luggage onto the boat before clambering aboard. He lowers himself from the rigging, pulling off a glove to shake their hands. 

“I’m Cassian, and this is my wife, Jyn,” Cassian introduces, shaking the other man’s hand. 

“Nice to meet you,” the other man says. “Name’s Han Solo.”

.

“Is that  _ Qi’ra Corellia _ I see?!”

Qi’ra turns, startled, and relaxes when she sees the smiling face of her old friend. “Lando!” She walks to him with arms extended, wrapping him in a hug. “It’s so good to see you!”

“And you!” He pulls back a little, looking her over. “My, my, you look untouched by the years.”

“Your  _ charm _ is untouched by the years,” she says wryly. 

The two of them find seats on the ferry beside each other, keeping their luggage close. 

“You’re going to the wedding?” Lando asks with some surprise.

Qi’ra shrugs. “I got an invitation.”

The surprised look doesn’t leave his face. “I just didn’t think things ended so well with you and Han.”

“I didn’t either,” she admits. “But that was so long ago, and we’re different people now. I assume he wants to be friends again.”

“I assume so,” Lando agrees. “Although, you two were never just friends, and now that he’s divorced…”

Qi’ra raises her eyebrows. “You think he’s trying to rekindle an old flame?”

Lando shrugs. “Could be. Could not be. Maybe you’re right and he just wants to be friends.”

“But you don’t think so.”

“You were the first woman he ever loved,” Lando points out. “Maybe after his divorce, he’s realizing he still loves you.”

Qi’ra feels a bit of panic at these words.

“Or, maybe he just wants a date to make Leia jealous.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t have come,” she starts to say, but the ferry pulls away from the dock right at that moment.

“Too late now,” Lando says cheerfully. 

Qi’ra looks back at the mainland with a resentful expression. If what Lando says is true, she’s going to kill Han.

.

On the other side of the ferry, another couple is also discussing Han Solo’s relationship with Leia Organa. 

“I wonder why Leia didn’t say anything else,” Teneniel says, not for the first time. “I mean, you’d think she would send a note or something with the invitation.”

“Maybe she didn’t know what to say,” Isolder offers.

“Maybe she didn’t think we’d accept.”

“Why invite us if she didn’t think we’d accept?”

“Oh, I don’t know.”

The couple sits in contemplation.

“I hope it’s a nice wedding,” Isolder says after a moment, wincing at the blandness of his statement.

“I’m sure it will be. After all, we’re in Greece.” Teneniel smiles. “How could it be anything less than perfect?”

.

“The wedding is going to be a disaster.”

Amilyn looks at her friend with wide eyes. “I’m sure that’s not true.”

Leia nods miserably. “It’s going to be a disaster. I can feel it. The decorations are all wrong, there are only two bridesmaids and two groomsmen, one of whom is Han, so the chances of him  _ actually _ showing up to the wedding are slim--”

“Leia.”

“What?”

“Relax,” Amilyn says with a smile. “The wedding is going to be  _ fine _ . And even if it isn’t up to your standards, it’s up to Ben and Rey’s, and that’s the important thing.”

Leia catches a sigh. “I know. They’d get married in a Walmart parking lot if I let them.” 

Amilyn tilts her head. “Is this about Han?”

“ _ No _ , it’s not about Han!” Leia says in an entirely unconvincing voice. “Here, help me with these place settings.”

Amilyn follows her. “I think it might be a little bit about Han.”

Leia throws her hands in the air. “He’s unreliable! It would be just like him to sail in next week because he got the date wrong! Or to not sail in at all, because he’s a shit father!”

“Han will be here,” Amilyn soothes. “And everything will be fine. You just need to relax.” She tilts her head again. “Are you getting any?”

“ _ What _ ?” Leia yelps.

“You know…” Amilyn gestures vaguely. 

“That’s none of your business,” Leia asserts, but Amilyn smiles. 

“So that’s a no?”

“Well, who would I get any from, anyway?” Leia mutters. 

“Lots of people. I rode over in the ferry with this young man who seems to have a fetish for women our age.”

“See? Women our age are a fetish now.”

Amilyn shrugs. “All I’m saying is, there are people out there...and maybe this wedding would be a good opportunity to have some fun.”

“I can’t have sex at my son’s wedding,” Leia scoffs. “He’s supposed to be the one having fun and sex while I worry about everything.”

“What if you both have fun and no one worries?”

“It’s a wedding, Amilyn--someone has to worry.”

  
  



	3. Mamma Mia

Han’s sailboat,  _ The Millennium Falcon _ , coasts into Ahch-To’s one harbor not long after the ferry that Jyn and Cassian missed. 

“Thank you so much for the ride,” Jyn says earnestly.

“It was nothing,” Han assures her. “Just glad Rey will have someone on her side at the wedding.”

Jyn and Cassian exchange glances.

“Oh...yeah?” Cassian says in a casual voice. 

Han nods, focused on tying up the boat. “Oh, yeah. You know, what with her not having any family and all.”

“Oh, yeah,” Jyn says, panicking, because if Rey Johnson has no family, that means they’re related to Ben Solo, who is, along with his father, a complete stranger to them both. “Such a shame.”

“Yeah. Well, at least now she’ll have a family.”

Before Cassian can think of a response to this, he looks up at the island in dismay. “This...is Ahch-To?”

“Not what you were expecting?” Han laughs. “Yeah, it’s not much, but the kids love it. Or, I should say, Rey loves it, and Ben loves Rey, ergo, he loves Ahch-To.”

“What are those beehive-shaped things?” Jyn asks.

“Those are the huts where the guests will be staying.”

The dismay increases. Not only do they apparently not know the bride or groom, but now they’re stuck on this dismal little island in dismal little huts? Cassian flashes Jyn a look that clearly says,  _ We should have stayed in Athens. _

Han helps the travelers carry their luggage up to the huts--no mean feat for three people past their prime. By the time they reach the collection of stone huts, Jyn and Cassian are wheezing heavily. There are three young people outside, and they rush to help the other three with the luggage.

“Where are Jyn and Cassian staying?” Han asks.

One of the young women, the tall one with brown hair, looks at them with wide eyes. “Jyn Erso and Cassian Andor?”

“That’s us,” Cassian says, wiping his forehead.

“You’re right here,” the woman says, leading them to their hut. “Thanks, Han--Ben’s up the hill.”

“Of course he is,” Han mutters, resuming his climb up the island.

The three young people are staring openly at Jyn and Cassian.

“So...you came,” the woman from before says rather breathlessly.

“We did,” Jyn agrees. “Han, ah, gave us a lift when we missed the ferry.”

The woman’s eyes sparkle. “That’s…that’s wonderful. Really.” She sounds so earnest. “Um, I hope you enjoy your...stay. And the wedding.”

“Thanks…?” 

The young woman smiles. “Rey.”

Cassian’s eyes widen. “Rey…”

“Well, um, see you later!” Rey squeaks before running away, her two friends tearing after her.

“I still have no idea who she is,” Jyn sighs.

Cassian shakes his head. “Neither do I. Neither. Do. I.”

.

“Rey!” Rose squawks as she and Finn chase after their friend. “Why did you run away? They could be your parents!”

“That’s exactly why I ran away!” Rey whirls to face them, making both Finn and Rose stumble to a halt. “They could be my parents! I got...terrified!”

“Rey, I don’t know how to tell you this, but you’re going to have to face three other people who may or may not be your parents,” Finn points out. 

“I know, I just…” She takes a deep breath. “I want to meet the others first. I mean, what if I’m like...the clone of one of them, or something? I want...I want to meet all of them before I start asking questions.”

Rose shrugs. “Fair enough, I guess. So, when do the others arrive?”

Rey shakes her head. “I have no idea.”

.

Qi’ra, Lando, Isolder, and Teneniel all disembark from the ferry at the same time. They look up at the island with grim fascination.

“They’re getting married...here?” Qi’ra asks.

“Luke moved here years ago, and Rey came to study with him...and then Ben came to visit, met Rey, and moved here permanently,” Lando explains.

Isolder and Teneniel start at the mention of Luke. The couple had been in love with the Skywalker twins--or something like it--before they fell for each other. It certainly helped that Leia was mad for Han and Luke was hopelessly gay. Still; it had been messy, and they hadn’t spoken to the Skywalkers since. Even now, being reminded of Luke makes Teneniel uncomfortably warm and Isolder more than a little possessive. 

“You’re going to the wedding too?” Teneniel asks brightly.

“If I make it up the hill,” Lando says grimly. He leads the way, the other three huffing and puffing as they carry their luggage up the steps. 

“What is this wedding,  _ Survivor _ themed?” Isolder mutters.

“This is a sacred island,” Lando says, clearly enjoying being the tour guide. “People would come from miles around to visit the oracle who lived at the peak. People were happy to walk these steps if it meant learning their future.”

“Like the Oracle of Delphi?” Teneniel pants.

“Exactly like the Oracle of Delphi!”

“Are we going to the peak, too?” Qi’ra asks in dismay.

“No, fair lady, just to that point there.”

When the others see where he’s pointing, they groan. They still have a long way to go.

.

Poe has been on Ahch-To for approximately half an hour and he’s already irritating Ben. Which is, granted, what Ben gets for making Poe Dameron his groomsman, but still. He doesn’t have to talk about his apparently enormous crush on Aunt Amilyn, who is Ben’s  _ godmother _ and friends with his  _ mom _ .

Ben is opening his mouth to say as much when a voice from behind him says, “Hey, kid.”

Ben turns around and grins when he sees Han Solo leaning against the doorframe. “Hey, Dad!” He strides forward, hugging the other man. “You made it.”

“Of course I made it,” Han snorts. “I wouldn’t miss my son’s big day!”

It is at that moment that Leia and Amilyn enter the room. Han grins at Leia while she studies him with an air of coolness bordering on hostility. 

“You changed your hair,” he says in his most winning tone.

“Same jacket,” she observes bluntly.

He plucks at the material, offended. “No, it’s a different jacket.” It is, however, the same brand, cut, and size as the old jacket. 

Ben clears his throat. “So, Dad, let me show you where you’re staying.”

As soon as they’re gone, Amilyn turns to Leia with a sly look.

“Not a word!” Leia barks.

Amilyn sniggers but blissfully says nothing.

.

“What is going  _ on _ ?” Jyn wants to know, toweling off her hair. “I mean, she clearly knew who we were.”

“She knew our names,” Cassian points out. “Maybe we were invited by the groom and she just knew our names from the guest list.”

“But we don’t know the groom,” she counters. “Or his father, apparently.”

“We have to know one of them,” he says stubbornly. “We just  _ have _ to.”

At that moment, a knock comes from the door of the hut; Cassian, who’s the most clothed, finishes buttoning up his shirt and then answers it. 

It’s Rey’s friend, the woman with hair that won’t lie flat. She smiles brightly at them. “Hi! I was just wondering if you needed anything.”

“Uh…” Cassian glances at Jyn, who raises an eyebrow. “I think we’re good.”

The woman is looking intently at both of them. “Are you sure?”

Cassian blinks. “Pretty sure, yeah.”

She rocks on her heels. “Okay, but just so you know, there’s a party tonight on the beach--you should really come.”

“We will,” Jyn says, more to get rid of the young woman than anything. 

The woman smiles brightly and then disappears. Cassian closes the door, glancing at his wife. “What…?”

“I don’t know, but there’s a party tonight, and I, for one, am going,” Jyn announces. “That way maybe I’ll recognize  _ somebody _ before the actual wedding starts.”

.

“What do you think?” Rey demands as soon as Rose is back.

Rose shakes her head. “I don’t know. I mean, you and Jyn have obvious resemblances, but you don’t look anything like Cassian.”

“Yeah, no offense, Rey, but I’m pretty sure you don’t have any Latin blood in you,” Finn says regretfully.

“Maybe I do,” she defends, but without much force. She  _ doesn’t _ look a thing like Cassian. 

“There are still two other couples,” Rose says encouragingly. “And I mean...maybe Cassian  _ is _ your dad. Or he isn’t.” Her eyes widen. “Maybe Jyn had a torrid affair and that’s why she put you up for adoption--because you aren’t her husband’s child.”

“This isn’t a Victorian novel,” Finn says, rolling his eyes, but Rey wonders...could that have happened? Jyn and Cassian are still married--how many married couples put babies up for adoption? But if Jyn had had an affair and couldn’t bear the reminder of her infidelity…

She’s interrupted from her train of thought by the arrival of four people, only one of whom she recognizes. 

“Rey Johnson,” Lando Calrissian calls.

Rey grins, moving forward to greet the old family friend. “Lando, it’s good to see you!”

He gestures with his hand. “I bring guests--Qi’ra Corellia, and…?”

“Isolder Hapes and Teneniel Djo,” Isolder says, reaching forward to shake Rey’s hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” Rey says excitedly. “Let me show you where you’ll be staying.” She tries not to openly stare at the three newcomers. 

They all look like they could be her parents, in some form or another. Is that the shape of her nose, or is it just her imagination? How brown was that hair before it grayed? Did that face have freckles, once?

As soon as she’s showed the couples to their huts and sent Lando up the hill to find Han, she turns to Finn and Rose. “Well?”

“They could definitely be your parents,” Rose allows. “But how will you find out?”

Rey gives her a secretive smile. “Alcohol.”

  
  



	4. Voulez-Vous

While Ben, Han, Luke, Lando, and Poe go out on Han’s boat, the women on the island (plus Finn, Isolder, and Cassian) head down to the beach, where they eat delicious Greek food and drink delicious Greek wine. Leia and Amilyn even give an on-demand performance of “Super Trouper”, which sends a tipsy Rey squealing excitedly. She feels happy and warm and content, and she decides that now is as good a time as any to find out the truth. 

She takes another swig of wine for courage and then makes her way to where Jyn and Cassian are sitting by one of the bonfires. 

“Hello!” she says with rather too much enthusiasm, plopping down on the sand.

“Hello,” Jyn says with some amusement. “Enjoying your bachelorette party?”

“Very much,” Rey agrees. “Are  _ you _ enjoying it?”

“I’ve never been to a bachelorette party, but I’m enjoying this one,” Cassian jokes.

“It’s lovely,” Jyn says. “Can I ask why you decided to have it on this island?”

“I live here,” Rey explains. “It’s the closest thing I have to a real home.” She hesitates. “I grew up in the foster system, you see.” Her voice starts to tremble. “My parents gave me up when I was born.”

“I’m so sorry,” Cassian says sincerely.

Rey licks her lips. “I was born at Jakku Memorial Hospital.”

Jyn starts. “Were you really?”

Rey nods.

“I gave birth there,” Jyn goes on. “To my youngest. Lyra.”

Rey blinks. “Your...youngest?”

“Yes,” Jyn says, pulling out her phone. She shows Rey a picture of her daughter, who is indeed Rey’s age. She’s in a graduation robe, arm around her mother as she beams at the camera. She is truly the daughter of Jyn and Cassian.

Rey’s vision blurs a bit. So Jyn and Cassian are not her parents. 

“Will you excuse me?” Rey asks, clearing her throat. “I need to...get some water.” She gets up, stumbling away from the couple.

Finn and Rose immediately converge on her.

“Well?” Finn demands.

Rey shakes her head sadly.

“That’s okay!” Rose says with a determined sort of cheerfulness. “There’s still Isolder and Teneniel and Qi’ra!”

“Right,” Rey says, brightening a little. She knew she probably wasn’t Jyn and Cassian’s daughter anyway. But now...now she’ll find out. 

She finds Isolder and Teneniel murmuring over sips of wine, but they smile at her when she joins them.

“Enjoying your last night of unmarried life?” Teneniel asks.

“Trying to,” Rey says honestly. “How long have you two been married?”

“Thirty five years,” Isolder says, beaming at his wife.

Rey whistles. “That’s a long time.”

“It is,” Teneniel agrees. “And they’ve been the happiest thirty-five years of my life.”

They look so sweet and happy together. Rey wants, desperately, to be their daughter, to be welcomed into their loving arms as the child they gave up so long ago.

But...why would they give her up, if they were so happy?

“Do you,” she starts to ask, her stomach already sinking, “have any children?”

“One girl,” Isolder says.

“Our pride and joy,” Teneniel agrees. “She’s about your age, actually.”

Rey closes her eyes. “I see.” 

Isolder frowns. “Rey? Are you feeling all right?”

She opens her eyes, pasting on a smile. “I’m fine. Just a little woozy. Think I should walk it off.” She gets up, not bothering to hide her tipsiness from the couple. Finn and Rose catch her eye; she shakes her head and makes a beeline for Qi’ra.

.

“You!”

Isolder and Teneniel look up--and smile at a surprised Leia.

“Hello, Leia,” Isolder says, getting to his feet. “It’s good to see you again.”

Leia looks at them with something like horror. “What are you doing here?”

That gives the couple pause. 

“You...invited us?” Teneniel says awkwardly.

Leia shakes her head. “I didn’t invite you.”

“Well, someone did.” Teneniel’s losing her patience. 

“It wasn’t me.” 

“Well, that’s just peachy,” Teneniel says icily. “Glad we flew all the way out here, then.”

Leia starts to look a little guilty. “Luke might have invited you,” she says quickly. “Or...Han.” Her eyes narrow. “ _ Han _ .”

.

On the other side of the beach, Poe dances his way over to Amilyn. “Dance with me?” he says, waggling his eyebrows.

“Down, boy,” she laughs. “I’m old enough to be your mother.” 

“Age is just a number.”

“You come up with that yourself?”

He holds out a hand. “Just one dance.”

She considers him. “Fine. One dance. But that’s it.”

He grins at her. “We’ll see.”

.

Rey is breathing hard by the time she reaches Qi’ra, who’s talking to Lando.

“Qi’ra,” she says, interrupting their conversation. “I need to ask you something.”

“All right,” Qi’ra says with a bemused expression.

Rey sinks to her knees in front of the other woman, her eyes desperate. “Did you give birth to a girl twenty-four years ago at Jakku Memorial?”

Qi’ra’s eyes are surprised, but slowly, they harden. “How do you know that?” she asks icily.

Rey’s heart leaps--if Qi’ra doesn’t want to talk about it, then perhaps she did give up her daughter for adoption. “I did some research,” she says, quivering. “Did you give her up for adoption?”

“What is this?” Qi’ra snaps.

“I’m not trying to offend you,” Rey assures her. “It’s only...you see, I was born at Jakku Memorial, and my mother gave me up for adoption.” She takes a deep breath. “I checked the records to see who was admitted to the maternity ward the day I was born and I found three women who gave birth to girls. You were one of them.” She hesitates. “So...are you...my mother?”

Qi’ra looks suddenly sad. “Oh, sweetie, no,” she says softly. “I can’t be your mother.”

Rey’s heart sinks. “Why not?”

Qi’ra takes a deep breath. “Because my baby girl died.”

Rey blinks back tears. “Oh...I...I’m so sorry.” She stands up. “I’m...so,  _ so _ sorry…”

“Rey?” Qi’ra asks. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Rey mumbles. “Excuse me.” She stumbles away, blinded by tears, and knocks right into someone’s chest.

“Rey! You okay?”

She grasps Ben’s shirt. “What...what are you doing here?”

“The bachelor party was boring and I missed you, so I got Dad to turn around and come here.” He frowns at her. “Baby, are you okay? You’re crying.”

“I don’t feel so well,” she says, and then promptly faints in his arms. 

.

Han sees Rey faint and is going to help his son when something catches his eye.

Or rather,  _ someone _ .

“Qi’ra?” he asks in a strangled voice.

“ _ Qi’ra _ ?”

Han and Qi’ra both look up at Leia, who’s storming towards them with a fierce look on her face.

“You invited Qi’ra too?!” she shouts. “What is this, some sick prank?”

“What are you  _ talking _ about?” Han asks, befuddled. 

Leia jabs a finger to where Isolder and Teneniel are sitting. “Them!”

Han’s eyes widen, and then narrow. “Isolder  _ and _ Teneniel?”

“And now Qi’ra?” Leia folds her arms over her chest. “What’s going on, Han?”

“I didn’t invite any of them!” he defends. 

“You didn’t invite me?” Qi’ra asks, and then has a look of dawning comprehension. “ _ Oh _ ...Rey…”

“What about her?” Leia wants to know.

“She fainted,” Han says.

“She fainted?! And no one told me?!” Leia runs across the sand to where Ben is carrying Rey away from the party. 

Han looks around at Qi’ra. “ _ What _ is going on?”

Qi’ra takes a deep breath. “I think I have an idea.

  
  



	5. S.O.S.

Rey wakes up in the bed she shares with Ben. Her head is pounding and her mouth has a dry, unpleasant taste to it. She groans, shifting in bed.

Ben stirs beside her. “You’re awake,” he says sleepily, rolling over to look at her. “How are you feeling?”

“My head,” is all she can manage.

Ben, bless him, kisses her forehead tenderly before getting up. He comes back a few minutes later with a glass of water and some aspirin.

“Thank you,” she mumbles, taking the aspirin and then a long pull of water. 

“You must’ve had a good time at the party,” he says wryly.

The party. It all comes flooding back now--the parents that aren’t Rey’s parents. She feels suddenly sick to her stomach, in a way she knows has nothing to do with her hangover. 

“Baby? You okay?” he asks, seeing the change on her face.

She takes a deep breath. “I have to tell you something.”

“Okay…” he says, waiting patiently.

She can’t bear to look at him as she says it. “I...did some digging. Trying to find my parents. I found women who were admitted to the maternity ward in the hospital where I was born, the day I was born. Three of them gave birth to girls.”

“Rey…”

She shakes her head. “I invited them to the wedding. All of them showed up. I thought...I thought I could figure out which of them were my parents.”

“Rey, you didn’t.”

“I did,” she says miserably. “Ben, none of them are my parents. I fucked up.”

Ben is quiet for a long moment. Then, “Is that why you wanted to have the wedding?”

She jerks her head up to look at him. “What? No! Ben...I want to get married to you!”

His eyes are steely. “It’s just. We were talking about going to the mainland and signing the papers with a couple witnesses, you know? And then all of a sudden you wanted this big wedding. Is it because you wanted to find your parents?”

“Ben, no!” She starts to panic. She’d known, somehow, that this would be his reaction, but she hadn’t known it would be so visceral. “Baby, I want a big wedding because I want to share with as many people as possible how much I love you and how excited I am to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to proclaim it to the whole world. Going to the mainland and signing papers just seemed...like we were ashamed of it.”

Ben’s face softens marginally. “Rey...I cant believe you didn’t tell me this.”

She hangs her head. “I was worried you’d react this way.”

“What, like my fiancée has been lying to me?” He shakes his head. “You lied to me.”

“Ben…” she says weakly. 

He shakes his head again, getting out of bed. She watches in distress as he begins putting on clothes. “I need to think about this.”

“Ben!” She stands on her knees, terrified. “Ben, I love you!”

Ben looks back at her—and then walks out of the room. 

Rey sinks back to the bed, tears rolling down her cheeks. It occurs to her that today is their wedding day. 

She’s royally screwed things up. 

.

Leia’s ordering around Luke and Poe when Han finds her. 

“Leia,” he says with a grave face. “I think we should talk about the wedding.”

“Oh sure, let’s talk,” she says irritably. “Let me just put aside all this preparation to  _ talk _ —“

“I think we should call it off.”

She blinks. “Call it off? Why? What’s happened?”

“The kids had a fight.”

“So? We fought on our wedding day.” She purses her lips. “On second thought…”

“Why do you have to be like this?” he asks tiredly. “It wasn’t all bad, was it?”

She looks away. “Not all bad.”

“So why do you act like it was?”

She shakes her head. “Remembering the good hurts. Remembering the bad is easier.”

“It doesn’t have to hurt,” he says gently. 

“It does,” she says, “because you aren’t there anymore.”

Han strokes her cheek. “I could be.”

Leia sighs. “What did they fight about?”

He winces. “Yeah, about that…”

.

“And he just walked out?”

Rey nods miserably. 

“Dick,” Finn mutters.

“He’s right to be upset--I should have told him.” Rey picks at the frayed hem of her shorts. “I shouldn’t have hid it. I thought it would be the perfect surprise, but…”

Rose hugs her. “So, is the wedding still...on?”

Rey shakes her head. “I have no idea.”

“If he leaves you at the altar, I’m kicking his ass,” Finn says decisively.

“And I’ll help,” Rose volunteers.

Before Rey can say anything else, there’s a knock at the hut’s door. “Rey? Are you in there?”

“Ben!” she exclaims, and before either of her friends can stop her, she leaps up and answers the door. 

Ben immediately wraps his arms around her, pulling her in for a tight hug. “I’m sorry I walked out,” he says, voice muffled by her hair. “I was being selfish. I should’ve been there for you.”

“You were right to be upset,” she says, tears springing to her eyes as she squeezes him back. 

“You thought you were gonna meet your parents and you didn’t--I should have been more supportive.” He pulls back to kiss her fiercely. “I love you so much, Rey, and I don’t deserve you at all.”

“Does this mean you still want to get married?” she asks hopefully.

He huffs out a laugh. “Of course I still want to get married! Marrying you is the only thing I want to do.” He kisses her again. “I have a surprise for you.”

“A surprise?”

He takes her hand, pulling her out of the hut. Gathered there, she sees Luke, Leia, Han, Jyn, Cassian, Qi’ra, Isolder, and Teneniel.

“It took a lot of retracing, but eventually, we figured out why you invited us,” Jyn says. “And we are so sorry that we’re not your biological parents…”

“But if you’ll let us,” Teneniel offers, stepping forward. “We would be  _ honored _ to be your adopted parents.”

“All of us,” Isolder agrees. 

Rey’s eyes flood with tears. She opens her mouth but finds herself rendered incapable of speech.

“Oh, come here,” Leia says, and Rey stumbles forward, enveloped in the arms of her eight parents. 

.

While Rey spends the day getting to know her new parents, Ben, Finn, Rose, Poe, Amilyn, Luke, and Han help Leia with last-minute wedding prep. 

“So?” Poe asks Amilyn as they hang streamers. “How about another dance tonight?”

“Why do I feel like ‘dance’ is code for something else?” she asks wryly.

“I think you’d like something else,” he says with a cheeky grin. 

“Ignore him, Ami,” Ben says, rolling his eyes. 

“Amilyn can’t deny the chemistry between us,” Poe insists.

She shakes her head. “Little boys who play with fire get their fingers burned.”

“I wouldn’t mind getting burned by you, ‘cause baby, you are  _ smokin’ _ .”

“Stop,” Amilyn laughs. “Your one-liners are terrible.”

“I’ve got a lot more where that came from.”

“Can you  _ please _ stop flirting with my godmother?” Ben grumbles.

“Yeah, please?” Luke echoes.

“Just you wait,” Poe says, smirking at Amilyn. “Before the night is over, you’ll be screaming my name.”

Amilyn leans in close. “How do you know you won’t be screaming mine?” And with that, she walks away, purple curls bouncing merrily.

Poe clutches his heart. “I think I’m in love.”

Ben shakes his head. “I think I hate you.”

  
  



	6. Slipping Through My Fingers

Rey spends all afternoon getting ready for the wedding with her mothers--and, oddly enough, Isolder. It turns out that while Teneniel is something of a no-nonsense tomboy, Isolder works for a fashion magazine and has an eye for aesthetic. He ends up doing Rey’s makeup while Leia twists her hair into elegant braids. 

“Are you nervous?” Qi’ra asks.

Rey starts to shake her head, then remembers that she can’t. “Nuh-uh. I’m excited. I love Ben more than anyone or anything in the world.”

“Well, trust me, the feeling is mutual,” Leia says. “Oh, Rey...thanks to you, I not only got my son back, but I also got a daughter. You’ve made me the happiest mother in the world.”

“We’re all the luckiest mothers in the world with you in our lives,” Jyn agrees.

Rey feels so, so happy.

As the afternoon fades slowly into dusk, Rey is pronounced ready for the wedding. Together with her bridal party--now considerably larger than it was originally--she heads up the steps to the temple, their way lit by strings of lights.

Leia, bringing up the rear, is stopped suddenly by a hand on her arm. She stops and turns to see Han standing there. 

“Leia,” he says in a strangled sort of voice. “I’ve been thinking, and...I really think we should talk about us.”

Her face hardens. “There’s nothing to talk about, Han.”

“Leia--”

“I don’t want to talk about the things we’ve gone through,” she says firmly. “It’s history. It’s over.”

“It doesn’t have to be,” he says with determination. 

“I don’t have time for this. And neither do you,” she reminds him. “Our son is about to get married to a lovely girl and I will not let you ruin this wedding for them  _ or _ for me.” And with that, she wrenches her arm out of his grasp and hurries up the steps, catching up to the bridal party. 

Rey’s “parents” wait with her in an antechamber as the guests settle inside; as the sun begins to set, music plays and Rey, Finn, Rose, Jyn, Cassian, Isolder, Teneniel, and Qi’ra all follow her. Leia, sitting in the front row, looks at her son. He looks awestruck as he watches Rey come down the aisle, and the bride looks equally radiant. Han claps a hand on Ben’s shoulder and murmurs something that makes Ben smile.

It makes Leia remember her own wedding day--how nervous she’d been, how some part of her had been terrified that Han wouldn’t be there, that he’d be late or forget to come or simply not want to marry her. She’d loved him so much then. Part of her, she thinks, still does. 

And that’s why it hurts so much--because she still loves him. Even now, even after everything, she still loves him, and the thought of getting her heart broken by him again...it’s too much to bear. 

As if hearing her thoughts, Han glances at her and winks the way he used to. It makes her heart sing, and that’s how she knows that whatever she says, it isn’t really over between them.

.

The ceremony glides by with dewy smiles and happy sniffles. Rey and Ben’s eyes shine with love, hands trembling as they vow to love each other in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, so long as they both shall live. When they finally kiss, the temple rings with the cheers of the small but boisterous crowd. Grinning madly, Ben lifts Rey into his arms and carries her down the aisle.

Leia stands up, eyes wet, and is unsurprised to find Han at her side, holding out his pocket square.

“This isn’t a real handkerchief, you know,” she says, dabbing at her eyes anyway.

“I was never very good at doing the right thing,” he says softly. “But Leia, if you give me a chance...I want to do the right thing this time.”

“Yeah? And what’s that?”

“Stay,” he says simply. “I walked out when I should have stayed, and if you’d take me back...Leia, I swear I’d never walk out again.” 

She sniffles, wanting so badly to believe it. And maybe...maybe he’s telling the truth. “But what if you do?” she whispers in a childish voice.

He shakes his head, eyes more serious than she’s ever seen them. “I won’t.” He takes her hand, running a thumb over her knuckles. “Leia, I’ve been in love with you for almost forty years; I never stopped loving you. And ever since I got back to this island, I’ve been trying to tell you that--and, as usual, I’ve done a fantastic job of screwing things up.”

“You are pretty good at screwing things up,” she agrees, eyes misting all over again. 

He squeezes her hand. “Whaddya say, sweetheart? Can we try this again?”

She nods. “Yes. Yes, we can try again.”

Han holds out his arm. “Be my date to the wedding?”

She smiles, taking his arm. “It would be my pleasure.”

As soon as they set foot outside, something comes hurtling towards Leia. Instinctively, she grabs it, and then realizes it’s the bouquet. Her cheeks flush as she looks up at Han, speechless.

“Well, sweetheart,” he says with a wink and a grin. “Guess that seals the deal, huh?”

“Oh, shut up and kiss me.”

And Han does, to the shrieking delight of the crowd.

.

The party rages on into the night, guests and island natives both celebrating the union of Ben and Rey. 

When the hour grows late and most of the guests are too drunk to notice, Ben, Rey, and their parents slip away to the dock, where Han’s wedding present--a sailboat--waits for the newlyweds. Rey hugs each and every one of the people who volunteered to be her parents, thanking them with kisses and happy tears. After twenty-four years of wondering who her parents are, wanting so badly to have a family of her own, she now has more parents than she knows what to do with.

“Okay?” Ben asks when they climb into the boat.

She nods, beaming. “More than okay. I’m happier than I’ve ever been.”

Ben smiles, and together, they sail into the horizon. 

  
  



End file.
